Second Chances – chapter twenty

February 2015

The little toddler held on to the sofa as she made her way towards her god mother. As soon as she was close enough she held her hands out to her Aunt Emi, giggling at her. Annabel was immediately swooped up and held high above Emily's head as Emily blew raspberries on her stomach, making Annabel squeal with laughter.

Emily brought the little girl back down to her lap, tiggling her, both of them laughing. After a few moments Emily stopped allowing Annabel to catch her breath and calm down. She closed her hands around the little girl, holding her close. "Aunt Emi is going to miss you," Emily told her.

Annabel looked up at her Aunt in confusion. "Miss me?"

Emily placed a kiss on her forehead. "That's right. I'm not going to see you for a long time." Emily felt her eyes tear up as she saw the frown on the little girl's face.

"Emi go?"

Amy came in from the kitchen, placing one of the teas in front of Emily, before taking the seat opposite, watching her friend interact with her daughter. "She's going to miss you. So am I." Emily looked towards her and her smile faltered.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to work with me in America?"

Amy shook her head sadly. "Sorry, but my parents are here, his parents are here. I would like Annabel to grow up knowing her grandparents." Emily nodded sadly as Annabel climbed off her lap to start playing with her toys. "But don't think for one minute that I'm going to let you get away with not staying in touch. I'm on the other end of the phone, whenever you need me, and it's not like this is the last time we'll see each other."

"I know," Emily told Amy, smiling at Annabel as she put a book on her lap and started flipping through the pages.

Hours later Emily sat on her window seat looking out over London. Picking up the glass of wine that rested on the little table, she took a sip. Tomorrow evening she would be at Derek's house. During the time they had been together, the longest time they had spent occupying the same space was ten days. They had barely argued, and anything that they disagreed on was easily settled. In the back of her mind, there was a small part of her that was waiting for it to all go wrong.

All Morgan knew she was staying with him for a month. Clyde had offered to arrange an apartment for her, but she had told him she would get back to him on that depending on what she and Morgan decided. Most of Emily's things had been transported back to DC and placed in storage until a decision had been made. All that remained was her four picture photo frame and her blanket and they could be packed in with her clothes before her flight tomorrow.

Emily would miss the apartment, especially the window seat. She had been here for nearly three years, and in that time it had become a source of comfort for her. When Emily first arrived she had been running away from the emotional fall out from trying to hold onto her old life.

In Paris, Emily had still been recovering from her injuries and grieving for the loss of her friends to think of much else. London had allowed her the time she needed to reconcile everything in her own mind, including the original undercover mission that had started the whole fiasco. London had given Emily an opportunity for a fresh start, and it had led her back to Derek. Emily would be forever in Spencer's debt for giving that plane ticket to Derek.

She was too wired to sleep, so she wrapped the blanket around her tighter as she looked out over London. Emily thought back to Derek's first visit, how within a few hours of his arrival they had nearly made love in this very spot, how they had made the decision to explore their feelings for one another. She couldn't believe that was almost two years ago.

Emily stayed in that spot all night watching the city while it slept, watching while it slowly woke up. Today was the next part of her new beginning.

Two days later Emily sat wrapped in her blanket in Morgan's living room reading her book as she waited for Morgan to return from a case in Las Vegas. Clooney lay on the floor, snuggled into her feet. Her change of assignment papers placed in an envelope on the coffee table, next to her tea; the photo frame on the table as well. Little clues Emily hoped he would pick up on.

She nervously glanced at her watch; Penelope said they would be landing an hour ago. In all the build-up to this moment, she hadn't felt nervous or uncertain of her actions. But as Emily waited for Morgan, questions ran through her head. Did he really want her to come home? Would he be happy that she made the decision without talking to him about it?

Clooney's ears perked up as the key turned in the lock. He went over to greet Morgan. "Hey Clooney, how you doing? You been good for Emily?" Morgan said as he stroked the dog. Turning his attention to Emily, he smiled. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

Emily frowned a little at the tiredness in his eyes, he looked exhausted. "Bad case?"

"Dismembered prostitutes scattered across Vegas," Morgan told her, snagging a quick kiss as he flopped down on the sofa next to her. She grimaced in response, trying to shake the image that appeared in her own head. Emily didn't want to think of what was going through Morgan's head if he saw the actual bodies.

Emily watched his face as he looked at the coffee table. Initially he was absorbed in his own thoughts, but that look soon ebbed away to concentration as he saw what was on the coffee table. Morgan turned to look at Emily, his eyes falling on the blanket draped across her lap. After a moment of looking back and forth between the blanket and the photo frame, he raised his eyes to hers, questioning.

"You bought your blanket? And photos?" Morgan asked. Emily could see a slight spark in his eyes; he knew what these things meant to her, and knew it was important if she brought them with her.

Reaching over to the coffee table, she picked up the envelope and passed it to him. "You might be interested in this," Emily told him, keeping her face neutral. She shifted so she was sitting sideways on the sofa so she could watch his reaction.

Morgan cautiously opened the envelope and took the papers out. He read the first words out loud. "Change of assign…" Morgan trailed off as he read the rest in silence. Emily bit her lip as she waited for him to address her. "You're coming home?" He asked turning to her, his eyes lighting up as he smiled.

Emily nodded. "I am home." Morgan's arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her into a deep kiss. Pulling away, she rested her forehead on his.

"Where are the rest of your things?" Morgan questioned. He hadn't seen any boxes.

"In storage," she told him. "We need to talk about…"

"You're moving in here," he cut her off.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we've spent too much time apart," he said kissing her again. Emily moved her hand to caress his face, deepening the kiss. She felt him shift and start to push her backwards, so she was lying on the sofa. He hovered above her, his hands starting to work on the buttons of her shirt as he kissed his way down her neck as she arched against him. "You're home," Morgan mumbled into her.

"I'm home," Emily whispered back.

Author note – that's one surprise sorted, thought about putting them in the same chapter but decided against it. Thank you to everyone who has commented and continuing to read. Let me know what you think.